Picture Of Dying Patient Posted Online, Along With Cruel Remarks
CHICAGO (CBS) -- After a year of grieving, a Chicago family was focusing on the memories of their loved only to have that peace shattered by an invasive photo and cruel comments posted on online.
CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot has their story.
Radovan Vojcic passed away more than a year ago and died from advanced Alzheimer's and dementia. His family had been working through their grief and focusing on beautiful memories.
Then, his surviving son, Dejan Vojcic, was on Craigslist, reviewing political posts in the "rants and raves" section when he saw something shocking. It was a photo Radovan taken while he was on his deathbed at Lake Cook Health Care Center in Northbrook.
"If you look at the picture it's just pain, suffering and death," the son says.
His father's rail-thin image was posted numerous times on Craigslist, along with derogatory comments.
"It made us really sick, to see something like that, a year later," his widow, Rada Vojcic, says.
One of the tamer posts reads: "Looks like Elmer spent another exciting weekend here. Must be overdosed on shuffleboard and bingo. At least he has a fresh supply of Depends to poop in as he fails desperately addressing every pro-Dem and anti-GOP post."
The family's attorneys fighting back.
"The posting of this photograph is an invasion of privacy in its purest form," says attorney Erron Fisher of Fisher & LaMonica.
"When you trust someone, a facility to take care of your loved one toward their end process, you don't expect that you're going to see an image of them mocked in a public forum," adds attorney Michael LaMonica.
Lake Cook Health Care Center was taken over by new owners on Nov. 1. They said they have no knowledge of this issue and bear no responsibility.
The attorney for the prior owners said in a statement: "While we operated the facility, protecting our residents was our No. 1 priority. We take these allegations seriously and are investigating this matter."
"I hope this doesn't happen to anybody, what happened to us," Rada Vojcic says.
The family's attorneys are issuing a subpoena for all records from Craigslist to see where the postings came from and to learn the identity of the poster.
Craigslist did not respond for a request to comment.
